The present invention relates to a system for use in delivering a drainage catheter within a body cavity. More particularly, it is directed toward a preassembled device configured to provide single-step deployment and repositioning of a drainage catheter within the body cavity.
A drainage catheter or stent is widely recognized as an efficient and effective device for treating an obstructed body cavity, such as the ducts of the biliary tree or a ureter. These stents are used to bypass and drain an obstructed lumen and can be configured for long-term positioning within the lumen. It should be understood that the terms "drainage catheter" and "stent" can be used interchangeable with reference to these applications.
While drainage catheters are highly useful, proper placement of the drainage catheter often is a difficult and time-consuming procedure. Typically, an endoscope is first placed into the body cavity and positioned at the proper anatomical area. In this regard, a distal end of the endoscope is placed in close proximity to the desired area of drainage catheter placement. If necessary, a pre-dilating device is directed through the distal end of the endoscope to dilate the stricture. The dilating device is removed from the endoscope and replaced by a guide wire. Then, a guide catheter is placed over the guide wire and positioned near the stricture. The drainage catheter or stent is placed over the guide catheter until a proximal end of the drainage catheter is beyond a proximal end of the guide catheter. A push catheter is then placed over the guide catheter until a distal end of the push catheter abuts the proximal end of the drainage catheter. The drainage catheter is then pushed via the push catheter down the length of the guide catheter until the drainage catheter reaches the desired body cavity location. At this point, the drainage catheter is manipulated via the push catheter to secure the drainage catheter within the ureter.
Once properly positioned, the guide catheter and guide wire are removed from inside of the push catheter and the drainage catheter. The push catheter remains in place to prevent movement of the drainage catheter during removal of the guide catheter and guide wire.
Every effort is made to secure the drainage catheter at the proper location within the body cavity. However, there are times when the drainage catheter is placed too far into the body or migrates to a less desirable location in which case there are several time-consuming secondary procedures available. These may include placing the endoscope back into the body and directing a tool into the endoscope to grasp the drainage catheter and pull it back into position. It is impossible to retract the drainage catheter relative to the body cavity with the push catheter because there is only one point of interaction between the two components. Thus, retraction of the push catheter simply pulls the push catheter away from the drainage catheter. Positioning of the drainage catheter is unaffected by the push catheter retraction.
Drainage catheters or stents are highly useful devices. However, the procedures involved in positioning a drainage catheter or stent are highly time-consuming and leave little room for error. In fact, it is impossible to retract a drainage catheter with present push catheters without the use of additional tools. Therefore, a substantial need exists for a drainage catheter delivery system configured to allow one-step placement and simple repositioning of the drainage catheter.